Men's Ice Hockey

COSMANO, KRANZKY LEAD MEN'S ICE HOCKEY OVER No. 6 WILLIAMS, 4-3

BOSTON, MA - The University of Massachusetts Boston men's ice hockey team scored 11 seconds into the game and never trailed as senior forwards Kris Kranzky (Glendora, CA) and Anthony Cosmano (Wheaton, IL) each scored a goal and added an assist to lead the way over nationally-ranked number six Williams College, 4-3, this afternoon in an Eastern College Athletic Conference East/New England Small College Athletic Conference contest at the Clark Athletic Center rink on the campus of UMass Boston. The Beacons improve to 10-11-1 and 6-10-1 in league play, while the Ephs, who are ranked by USCHO.com fall to 13-5-3 and 11-5-1. The win was the first for UMass Boston over Williams since a 6-1 victory on January 15, 1999 in Boston to snap a 10-game winless streak.

UMass Boston wasted no time taking control of the contest scoring just 11 seconds into the game off the opening faceoff when Kranzky won the opening draw, senior defenseman Steve Ebbole (Wheaton, IL) found Cosmano, who skated up the right side and fired a shot from the point that rattled just inside the pipe and in for his fourth tally of the year and a 1-0 Beacons' lead. UMass Boston kept the pressure on when Cosmano found Kranzky for a shot that was stopped, but he recouped the rebound and potted his ninth goal of the season at the 3:10 mark of the opening frame for a 2-0 lead.

Williams stopped the momentum briefly when freshman forward Cody Skinner (Katy, TX) set up classmate Eric Rubino (Woodbridge, ONT) for his fourth score of the year at 7:08 of the first period to cut the deficit to 2-1, but the Beacons wasted no time with their response coming just 76 seconds later. Sophomore forward Andrew Burke (Southampton, PA) came up with the puck and sent it to Ebbole who found junior forward Matt Atsoff (Macomb, MI) on the offensive rush up the ice for his ninth goal of the campaign at the 8:24 mark to give UMass Boston a 3-1 margin.

The Beacons' offensive flurry marked just the fourth time this season that the Ephs had allowed three or more scores in a period, thus forcing a timeout by the visitors and a goalie change.

UMass Boston was quiet for the rest of the period and the entire second period, despite outshooting Williams 34-11 through two periods of play. The Ephs pulled to within a goal when junior defenseman Brian Malchoff (Avon, CT) picked off the puck and rushed up the right side of the ice on a Beacons' five-on-three advantage and fed junior forward Ben Contini (Toronto, ONT) in the left slot for a shorthanded goal at 15:13 of the middle period to make it 3-2.

UMass Boston found some breathing room in the middle of the third period when Burke found freshman blueliner Steven Weston (Henniker, NH) for his first collegiate goal at the 10:16 mark of the period to give the Beacons a 4-2 lead.

Contini cut the deficit to a goal for Williams when he lifted a blast from the point that found the back of the net with just 1:45 left to play in the game on a helper from Skinner and sophomore defenseman Justin Troiani (Woodbridge, ONT), making it 4-3, but that would be as close as the visitors would get.

Sophomore goalie Kevin Bendel (Denville, NJ) stopped 11 of 13 shots in the final 32:59 of play to earn the victory for UMass Boston. Senior Ryan Donovan (Rexford, NY) turned away five of six shots in the first 27:01 of action, before leaving with an injury. Senior goalie Marc Pulde (Lexington, MA) got the starting nod for the Ephs and allowed three goals against 10 saves in the first 8:24 of action, before yielding to sophomore Ryan Purdy (La Jolla, CA), who stopped 30 of 31 shots in 50:50 of action. The Beacons outshot Williams in every period and finished with a 44-19 shot advantage.

UMass Boston will be in action again when it travels to Clinton, NY on Friday, February 19 to take on Hamilton College at 7:00 p.m., while the Ephs head to Castleton, VT on February 19 for a 7:00 p.m. tilt with Castleton State College.